As New Yorkers, we are constantly on the lookout for the next train to come on that platform as we wait to get around the city. It is no surprise to any New Yorker that we have one of the most complex subway systems in the country, if not the world. When one looks at our subway map, they see clusters, but a new map is clearing up this mess and helping irritated commuters walk less to a stop and clear up what are becoming “subway deserts”.

Chris Wong, an employee of the Department of City Planning, recently illustrated how confusing our subway system can be and how disorganized it is at times as well. He then decided to design a map that showed floating islands to show areas of New York City that are further than 500 meters to a station, in other words, 0.3 miles. Originally he only designed the map just for entertainment to explore the concept, but when his design got much more attention than it did, an issue was brought up to many on how disproportioned our subway system is.

After receiving feedback, he decided to create “Subway Deserts V2”, which showed areas forming a ten-minute walk to any of New York City’s 470 subway stations. The Upper East Side and Roosevelt island seem to be missing from the map but are sure to be looked into.

He says the map is intended to help New Yorkers who are always on the go or in a rush in order to avoid the 500 meters one is used to walking from station to station and make a way to only have to walk ten minutes from one station to another. He also hopes that the map will make New Yorker’s appreciate how close one might live to a subway, in comparison to others who may live quite a few blocks from a station.

Featured Image via Google Images